The present invention relates generally to projectile shooting toys, and more particularly to a projectile shooting toy in the form of a motorized toy helicopter.
Projectile shooting toys are well-known. It is further well known to provide toys generally with motorized moving parts along with parts which may be moved manually. It is also known in the prior art to provide toys with pre-recorded sound effects and operating lights. A projectile shooting toy with a novel firing apparatus which further combines these various features into a single toy should provide particularly engaging play activity.
Briefly, the invention is a projectile shooting toy comprising: a body housing; a drive motor supported by the body housing; an operating trigger having a first unactivated position and a second activated position; and control circuitry operably coupled to the operating trigger and the drive motor wherein the control circuitry activates the drive motor when the operating trigger is moved to the second position. The projectile shooting toy further comprises a projectile firing apparatus, including: a projectile cannon mounted on the body housing and having: a cannon housing having an inlet at a first end and an outlet at a second end, a firing ram operably coupled to the motor, and a projectile retaining flap disposed within the projectile cannon, the projectile retaining flap being movable between a first retaining position and a second release position and being biased into the retaining position by a spring.
In a second aspect, the invention is a projectile shooting toy comprising: a body housing; a drive motor supported by the body housing; control circuitry operably coupled to the drive motor; a first trigger operably coupled to the control circuitry; and a second trigger operably coupled to the control circuitry. The projectile shooting toy further comprises a projectile firing apparatus, including: a projectile cannon mounted on the body housing and having: a cannon housing having an inlet at a first end and an outlet at a second end, and a firing ram operably coupled to the motor. The projectile shooting toy further comprises a movably mounted element and a power transmission operably coupling the drive motor and the movably mounted element. Activation of the first trigger causes the control circuitry to activate the drive motor to move the firing ram from a first position to a second position and then abruptly release the firing ram to return to the first position, thereby striking any projectile held in the cannon housing. Activation of the second trigger causes the power transmission to drive the movably mounted element.